I first heard of Tommy Blake via “Rockabilly Country” on BFBS in February 1983. The host, Dave Simmons, had conjured up a theme show entitled “Loony Tunes.” Amongst other weird tracks from the long lost age of Rock’n’Roll, he played Tommy Blake’s $ F–olding Money $. The song blew my mind and introduced me to the world of trash, I later explored at greater lengths. Tomorrow will find that very piece of kool and other hot items by Tommy Blake in the mix of our Rock’n’Roll and Rock-a-Billy slots. Bear Family’s “The Sun Years, Plus” is a fine compilation of his recorded output. From the tiny Texas label Buddy, he went to RCA. Chet Atkins couldn’t deal with the tuff con man and his dubious entourage and Blake took the Presley trip in the opposite direction – to Sun Records…

The life story of Blake and his cohorts reads like a genuine Southern Gothic story and would make a great movie. Until someone catches up on the idea and comes up with the dough – listen to Bear Family Radio!

Joining Blake in the mix will be his labelmate Hayden Thompson. When the hep cat scene started back in the early 1990s, Hayden Thompson was amongst its major role models. His looks and sound combined all the essentials of his Rockabilly predecessors, making him the quintessential Duke of Cool back in 1957. Bear Family’s “The Sun Years, Plus” has the anthemic Rockabilly Gal and all his other great stuff!

To honor Johnny Cash’s recent birthday, we decided to put all our four boxed sets on the air – only for a short time! So, get set for Sunday – our new schedule will rotate heavy on Cash!https://www.bear-family.de/cash-johnny/

Sit back, enjoy and drive head first into the world of vintage music, from the early days to the heydays of country and rock. We are bringing you all the big names, from Hank Williams to Johnny Cash, from Jerry Lee Lewis to Ricky Nelson. You can hear all the great ‘classics,’ plus many hidden treasures – compiled by experts from Bear Family Records, the world’s leading re-issue label.